


Stitches: A Cause for Stillness

by deebainwonderland



Series: Irondad Whumptober [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Hurt Peter Parker, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, whumptober2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 15:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20996813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deebainwonderland/pseuds/deebainwonderland
Summary: Sometimes snitches aren't the ones to get stitches.#whumptober2019 #no.11 #no.12 #stitches #don'tmove





	Stitches: A Cause for Stillness

“Don’t move, Pete” Tony said gently, holding one of the boy’s hands. 

Peter rolled his eyes, sitting stock still on the medical table and wincing as the needle pierced his skin again.

“I’m trying Mr. Stark!” he said through gritted teeth. “How many more do I need?”

Dr. Cho patted his arm comfortingly. “We’re almost done, Peter. Just two more stitches to go. I wish all my patients were as well-behaved as you." 

“Hear that, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked with a grin that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’m a model patient.”

“Only with lovely Helen, kiddo,” Tony replied, rubbing his thumb in slow circles over the boy’s wrist. “Trying to get you to tell me you’re hurt is like pulling teeth.”

“I don’t see how that can be when Karen always snitches on me,” Peter muttered and then flinched as the needle bit into him again. 

Tony winced in sympathy. “What you think I just wouldn’t notice the steady stream of blood gushing from your neck. Kid, you look like you fought a battle with a vampire. And lost.” 

Peter shrugged one shoulder. “I was only shot a little.”

“Shot being the keyword in that sentence.”

“Ok, you two,” Dr. Cho interrupted shooting Tony a look that plainly said ‘you should remember that you’re the adult in this situation’. “I wouldn’t have you upsetting my patient. Peter, just one more, you ready?" 

Peter gave a terse nod and Dr. Cho bit the needle in one last time. Peter let out a low whine as she tied the stitches off. 

“There you are, young man,” she said brightly. Reaching behind her, Dr. Cho grabbed the bindings and carefully fitted them on the sutured gash on Peter’s neck. “Now no getting this wet for two days, you hear?”

Peter nodded and thanked her. Glancing between the man and the boy, Dr. Cho quickly excused herself. On her way out she shot Tony another pointed look. ‘Go easy on the kid’.

Then it was just Tony and Peter alone in the room. Peter was already out of the Spider Suit and donned in one of Tony’s old MIT sweatshirts. He picked at a string hanging from the sleeve, not looking at the man himself. 

“You want to tell me why I had to learn about this from Karen and not you, kid?”

“Because she didn’t listen to me when I tell her not to call you,” Peter muttered, still looking down. 

Tony groaned and rubbed a knuckle against the side of his head._ Don’t yell at the kid, don’t yell at the kid… _

He dropped to his knees, bones protesting, and wrapped his hands around the boy’s ankles. Peter watched him cautiously, half expecting the man’s grip to hurt. 

But, of course, it didn’t. “You know you’re supposed to come to me about these kinds of things.”

“I didn’t realize I’d need stitches,” Peter muttered. 

“You do realize that is not a very good argument right?”

Peter raised his shoulders in half-hearted agreement. 

Sighing, Tony stood up and gently pulled Peter from the table. “Come on kid, let’s go down to the lab.” 

Two hours later, Tony was working on his latest nanotech idea while keeping an eye on Peter doing his homework across the lab. The kid was working on an essay but he kept pausing every few minutes to bring a hand to his neck with a wince. 

Jesus, the kid had been shot. Well, grazed but still. Tony would have to work on upping the strength and durability of the neckpieces of the suit. 

No matter how many times Tony turned it around in his head, he just couldn't figure out why he couldn’t train this kid to just call him when he needed help. He’d leave fifteen-minute voicemails to Happy about his patrols but couldn’t seem to use Tony’s personal phone number for more than arranging times to come to the Tower.

Tony felt his anger bubbling up again and tried vainly to push it back down. He might still be fairly new to this whole mentor thing but he’d learned that anger and overreactions were not going to help. 

“Let him come to you,” Pepper told him after the night Tony had pulled Peter from the water. You can’t force this, she’d replied firmly when he’d grumbled at just attaching a tracker under Peter’s skin. 

Turns out, as it so often did, Pepper was right. 

Peter abandoned his homework and slowing made his way across the room to stand over Tony’s shoulder and watch his hands work deftly with the tech. 

Tony glanced back at him to see Peter wearing a contrite expression. 

“How you doing, buddy?” he asked carefully. 

Peter’s hand was fidgeting with the bandage on his neck and didn’t answer. 

“No, Pete, don’t,” Tony said quickly, turning around on his stool and reaching up to grab Peter’s hand. He tugged the boy closer until he was standing between Tony’s open legs, just inches from the man. 

Peter’s upper lip wobbled. _ Oh shit. Oh shit, the kid’s going to cry, I have absolutely no idea what to do with a crying child. I am not equipped for this. _

“I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” Peter finally said softly, bravely swallowing down the tears that were fighting to get out. 

The words didn't make any sense to Tony. “Overstay what welcome?”

Peter gestured around the lab, pointing to a prototype web shooter the two had been working on for the last month, to the couch that Tony had specially brought down so the kid could take a nap when Tony got too involved in his work, to the picture on the table of the two of them the day Peter had received an official internship letter for Stark Industries.

Now that Tony really looked, he saw evidence of the kid everywhere in the lab. There was a stray pair of sneakers in the corner. A Spanish textbook lay spread open on one of the tables. For so many years this space had been exclusively Tony Stark’s personal lab, a place of complete solitude. Now, without Tony ever really realizing it, the lab had become a safe space for another. 

“You already do so much for me,” Peter continued, seemingly unaware of the man’s epiphany. “Like this isn’t even just about me being Spider-Man anymore. My internship is actually real and amazing and I spent weekends here, and I know I’m a lot, like, I know that. I talk way more than I should, and you’re literally one of the most important people in the world but you still spend so much time with me and it’s all so amazing and then I get a wicked gash on my neck and I have to come use to your doctors because I can’t really go anywhere else and I know I’m a hassle and I really don’t want to overstay my welcome and-” 

Tony finally cut off the rambling, hands shooting out to cup the boy’s face. Peter abruptly snapped his mouth shut at looked at his mentor with watery eyes. 

_ Christ, this kid. _How was it possible to love someone so much and still want to knock them over the head to drill some sense into them?

“Ok, first things first, kiddo. You are not welcome here,” Tony said sternly. 

Peter made a little hiccupping noise and a tear slid down his cheek. 

“No, no, Pete, don’t cry,” Tony hastened, reaching up to wipe the tear away. “You’re not welcome here. You’re a fixture here. As in you’re so permanent that you don’t need a welcome.” 

Peter looked desperately confused at that. “Permanent?” 

“Yes, kiddo,” Tony replied, rubbing Peter’s cheeks gently, “Permanent. As in you drive me completely nuts sometimes but I’m not letting you go even if you wanted me to. Christ, I’m no good at this but caring for you isn’t a burden Peter. You’re not going to hit a quota.”

Another tear slid down Peter’s cheek and Tony caught that one too. “Knowing that you’re hiding an injury from me hurts me, Pete. I want you to be able to trust me.” 

Peter whined at that and stumbled a step forward. “I do trust you!”

Tony had to smile at that. This kid was honest to a fault. It was kind of cute. “Then don’t move kiddo. Don’t run from me. I’m not going to think less of you or get tired of you for coming to you. In fact, I’ll think more of you, kiddo.” 

Peter watched him with wide eyes, seemingly thinking very hard about that. Finally, he sniffed, bringing up the sleeve of the sweatshirt to wipe his nose, and nodded. 

Tony’s hand dropped to pat his shoulder. “I want a verbal promise, Pete.”

“M’ promise Mr. Stark.” The voice was soft but sure.

“Good,” Tony said happily, slapping his thighs. “Now how about you bring your chair over here and help me with this model.” 

He was rewarded with a watery smile as Peter turned quickly to obey. 

“And no more picking at that bandage Pete!” Tony called after him. 

Peter waved cheerily back at him as he went to get the chair.

Huh. How about that. Tony should listen to Pepper as a default.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudo and/or comment if you enjoyed!


End file.
